


Two Birds of a Feather

by samiraxlula



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Detective Comics (Comics)
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent, Dick Grayson Tries to Be a Good Older Sibling, Dick Grayson is Determined to Find a Nickname that Sticks, Dick Grayson is Not Adopted, Dick Thinks about Dropping Out of College, Gen, Jason Todd Has an Accent, Jason Todd is Robin, Jason Todd is adopted, Morally Grey Jason Todd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:08:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23308879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samiraxlula/pseuds/samiraxlula
Summary: Dick Grayson makes an attempt at bonding with his new “little brother” by taking Jason out on a skiing trip to Alaska. Only, as always, they run into a bit of trouble.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Jason Todd
Comments: 2
Kudos: 43





	1. Hey, Kid.

> GOTHAM CITY / 10:56 AM

Some days—every now and then—it felt good to be alive. You feel ready for anything. Romance, adventure, death or glory. It doesn’t really matter which. You’ve got an appetite for it all. And Dick Grayson had successfully captured that feeling right upon waking up that morning, though he was currently wrestling to keep it alive the closer the taxi got towards Wayne Manor.

Although he had been on better terms with his legal guardian as of late, he still felt awkward coming back to the home he was raised in from college. Now, whether that was solely for the fact of his and Bruce's uncertain relationship or the fact of said man's new son, Dick wasn't a hundred per cent certain at times.

It wasn't that he had anything against the kid. He'd ran a few patrols with him and ceremoniously passed on his name and uniform because he'd thought Jason was a good kid. He liked him, really. Liked him enough that he wanted to actually have a fraternal relationship with him somehow. The only issue was, he had no idea how to go about it. He'd never had or even been an older brother before to anyone.

Sure, he'd always wanted one growing up and his reaction to finding out about Jason had been equally half upset that Bruce hadn't called about it and half excited to have another kid in the family. Jason's adoption, however, had given him even more mixed feelings. 

It couldn’t quite be called _jealousy_ , though it did nag at him sometimes. It’s just that in this situation he wasn't even sure what type of brothers he and Jason made; one adopted and the other not.

Donna had given him the idea of taking a trip with the kid, as in her infinite wisdom and grace had said, “if you really want to get to know a person, take a trip, bird-boy.”

Which is how Dick ended up in front of the manor with two plane tickets in his bag on the second day of his reading week and Jason’s march break from their respective schools, one junior high and the other post-secondary.

Getting off the taxi and paying the driver before he took off, Dick found Alfred already waiting for him in the front entrance, looking very pleased with his presence, especially for being punctual with his promise of showing up at eleven in the afternoon.

“You are indeed a sight for sore eyes, lad.”

“Well, at least I can count on one of my parents always being happy to see me.”

So he was still a little bitter. Sue him.

Alfred only rolled his eyes in fond exasperation before ushering him inside and taking his bags himself despite Dick’s squawking over the matter.

"So...where's Jason and Bruce?"

"Master Bruce," Alfred started, looking none too happy with the fact as Dick hung up his coat. "Unfortunately had a pressing business meeting that called him away this morning. He regrets not being able to see Master Jason and you off before your trip."

"Master Jason, however, has been eagerly awaiting your arrival since six in the morning. Of course, he is currently attempting to be...shall I say...cool, and is waiting for you in the library."

To his remembrance, Jason had always been very confident and self-assured whenever he had seen him, so thinking of the kid being excited over going out with him? It was hard to imagine.

“Now, I expect you both to have lunch before you depart, which will be ready within the hour.” With that, Alfred went back off to the kitchen where his pots were still simmering, leaving Dick shuffling in the main entrance hall before springing onto his hands and walking that way towards the library.

Being upside-down helped him relax.

"Hey, kid." Dick waved somewhat awkwardly after returning right-side-up on his feet towards the waiting thirteen-year-old lounging on the couch reading some thick book with an obscured title. 

"Hi." The boy looked up at him before closing his book. “How’s college goin’?” His pronounced ‘gothamite bite’ accent was noticeable enough from his first sentence. It reminded Dick a bit of those old forties movie gangster accents but higher-pitched and watered-down for a child’s voice.

Apparently Bruce and Alfred had been training him to speak more standard as of late, though. At the very least for the sake of maintaining a dual identity. 

Not that the amusing fact helped much with his internal cringing at the first question the kid had. From the little he knew about him, Jason was crazy about school and was genuinely floored upon learning that his predecessor wasn’t.

“I’m...failing.” He admitted sheepishly, sitting down in the armchair opposite.

Jason gave him a _‘gee, I wonder why,’_ look though he didn’t look as judgemental as Dick had expected him to be. 

It was his second semester at Hudson University and he had genuinely wondered how he had even gotten past the first. There were some fun aspects to college life, like independence and joining the school paper for a while but being a vigilante took up most, if not all his time.

“Why are you even majoring in business? It’s obviously not your thing.”

“I’ll try not to take that personally.” Dick let the corner of his mouth turn up before shrugging. “I dunno really, I guess I just thought it’d be easy. It was just one of the many things Bruce taught me that I’d liked enough to major in at the time. Now…? I’m not so sure.”

Jason nodded at this seriously before bending down while still seated to unzip the travel bag he had beside the couch and placed his book gently in, as though it were something of great value to him before zipping it back up with a final pat. 

"You should drop out."

"...I did _not_ just hear you say that." Dick sputtered as Jason stood up, slinging the back over his shoulder. "Jason Todd, _the_ Jason Todd, just told me to drop out of school?!"

"You can't even focus on your classes. It's no wonder you're failing." Jason stated as though the facts of the matter were all quite simple. "Anyway, it's because I think so highly of getting an education that I'm telling you to drop out. Not forever, of course. But _business_ if not where you should be."

"Of course," He continued with all the sharp and pointy humour he was composed of, "since you're so insistent on being nothing like B, who is a dropout himself, maybe you should just stay and do something that'll make you miserable the rest of your life, just to spite him." He waved his arms about to punctuate his point.

"Ah. You know, for a second there I was really worried body snatchers had taken you but there you are, cynical as ever." Dick felt the crack of a smile form into a grin like he had never felt awkward in the first place.

"I was but they let me go. Some people just can't handle my wit, you know."

"I know." Dick snorted as the two headed back to the kitchen to have lunch.

*

Dick couldn’t honestly remember the last time he had a real period of rest and relaxation. He still hadn’t found his balance between being Dick Grayson and Nightwing, despite being the former for just a little over two years now.

Looking to the side at Jason, who was looking out from his window seat as the plane took off from the tarmac quite calmly, the elder male wondered if Jason had such problems, it being only his first year as Robin himself.

“How’sabouta turning that frown upside down, kid.” Dick poked the boy playfully once they were in the air, earning a weird look since he wasn’t.

“I’m not frowning, this is my resting look.” Jason rolled his eyes. “And even if I were, I get more exercise frowning. It’s the reason my face is as chiselled as it is.”

Dick laughed at that and all the baby fat Jason clearly still had. “Trust me. You’d look this chiselled and good—“ he rubbed his chin, grinning. “—if you were smiling.”

Jason snorted before seeing what movies could be watched on the screen in front of him.

"Hey, ask anyone. I have a face people can't help but fall in love with."

"Like a labrador."

“ _Psshaw_. Hater.”

While a direct flight to Alaska from Gotham would be a seven-hour trip, they weren’t using the batplane or even a private plane, so their flight instead would take a total of ten hours, with only one stop. Hence, Dick settled in comfortably. 

“Dick?”

“Yeah?”

“Maybe you could model.” Jason seemed to ponder over the thought seriously while still going through the movie listings. Dick opened his eye mask cover and slipped it over his head.

“Aww, kid. You think I’m that good looking?”

“No, I’m trying to think up alternative career options for you while factoring in your brain capacity. And stop calling me kid.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comic References:  
> Dick Majored in Business at Hudson Uni and Was Failing: (Detective Comics #495)  
> Dick Being in the School Paper: (Detective Comics #390 & #493)
> 
> *
> 
> I'm not feeling too good about this work. I feel like I'm being OOC or something. Well, we'll just have to see if it works. I just wanted to try my hand at mostly-absentee-but-doesn't-have-anything-against-his-new-little-brother, Dick and an I-guess-you're-cool-but-we'll-see, Jason.


	2. Not Now, Jay

> ALASKA / 10:00 PM

Jason Todd wondered at the person that was Dick Grayson as he sat down in a plush lounge room chair while Dick signed them into their shared chateau-style hotel room. 

For someone who would willingly wear a dracula collar and show cleavage almost down to his stomach while swinging around a city at night, his day-time persona was surprisingly down-to-earth with his simple jeans and a much loved blue hoodie with accessorizing silver chain underneath his winter jacket.

Ever since he had joined this family he had become used to the switching personas the people around him employed. Bruce was easy enough once you made the clear distinctions between Batman, Bruce and Brucie to go off from. 

With Dick, however, you had to really pay attention to slight shifts in his persona depending on whatever context you put him in. When on patrol with him and Bruce, he acted like the most extroverted, talkative, lighthearted guy on the planet. Put him anywhere else in the world, and he’s suddenly more of a serious, I’m-in-charge-now broody guy.

Go figure.

“Alright, let’s go, Jay!” Dick jingled the room key in front of his seemingly day-dreaming face, startling the boy some before he let a frown wash over his expression.

“I realize you have some difficulties using your own full name, but I’m perfectly fine with mine, thanks.” Jason hopped up, snatching the key from Dick and walking on ahead with their bags in tow. 

“What, you don’t like Jay, either?” Dick seemed to ponder the problem as he followed without any complaint. “Bruce calls you that all the time, though.”

“Well, Bruce is— _Bruce_ , okay. Why do you even need to give me a nickname?”

“Why do you feel the need to find me a career path?”

“Okay, okay.” Jason shushed him as they got off the elevator and into the low-lit hall as most other guests were winding down or asleep at this time. Definitely a huge change from the Gotham night lifestyle. “You can give me a nickname. Just not anything stupid.”

“Deal.” 

Dick seemed happy with this compromise but also looked very determined now which made Jason hope he wasn’t going to regret allowing it as the elder waved the room pass in front of the lock and shuffled him in.

* 

“Have you told anyone else that you're failing college?”

“Like Bruce or Alfred? Ha, funny one, Jayce.”

The two were seated in the quiet dining hall later the next day, having an early dinner after having skied all day, or rather fallen miserably every two minutes in Jason’s case, who had never been on a pair before. Dick, however, proved to be quite the competent teacher and had given Jason a strong basic foundation by the end of their afternoon outing.

“Well, you can’t _just_ be ‘Wing.” 

“I dunno. It really shouldn’t be this complicated, and yet, here I am, struggling with it anyway.” Dick smiled in a funny way. “I’m not really being a cool big brother, am I?”

Jason gave him a long look before returning his attention to his dinner plate. “Nah, I think you're more interesting when you have a couple of flaws.”

Dick’s eyes widen a fraction, though the younger boy misses the look of surprise as it flicks across his face, as he’s busy with the food in front of him. A look of satisfaction follows on its heels, as Dick settles into a comfortable smile. He was glad he took Donna’s advice with the trip. 

“Excuse me,” An older woman came up to them, probably in her late twenties, halting their already hushed conversation. 

Jason barely suppressed the eye-roll that came when Dick shifted to give her his full attention. For no reason other than the fact she was an obvious redhead.

“Aren’t you two the Wayne boys?”

“We are indeed,” Dick clearly had no qualms being associated with Bruce it seemed if a ginger was involved. His voice dipped into a flirtatious tone, triggering Jason’s gag reflex in disgust.

“I’m going to catch up on some reading.” Jason stood up abruptly, knowing where this was headed. The woman only laughed at that as she propositioned buying Dick a drink.

Jason didn’t pay it much heed though and just headed back to their room, not eager to watch Dick add another addition to his ginger harem.

*

Taking the stairs instead of the elevator for no real reason, Jason pushed open the door to their floor and stepped out into the hall. He’d been meaning to get in some reading last night but Dick had insisted on staying up to play truth or dare like they were a pair of teenage girls at a slumber party. 

Annoying? A bit. But he did have some fun with making Dick blanch at his dares.

A knock on a door came from the corner he was about to turn onto, making him pause for a moment as he rounded the corner, only to make a sharp turn back upon noticing something he didn’t expect to see at a bourgeois resort like this.

With his back pressed tightly against the hall corner, he surveyed the situation. 

The knock came from a boy—probably only a year or two younger than him—who was standing in front of a room door. He had a long scar running across his nose, which made Jason narrow his eyes in suspicion immediately. 

He once knew a kid on his old block who had a similar cut on his face from a bad run-in with a crackhead. And from the looks of the scene, this kid probably had a similar encounter.

The boy kept looking over his shoulder and down both ends of the hall, making Jason duck his head back every now and then, looking all the more suspicious with the way he was clutching something hidden underneath his jacket.

Clearly he was new to the job.

Jason supposed drug runners weren’t all too out-of-the-ordinary in a small, lowly-populated town like this. The only real jobs to be had were at the resort, and even then, the town itself was generally poor and serviced the upper middle class and wealthier clients who vacationed here.

And if they had money, time and wanted to experiment? Well, it was business to be had.

Growing up in the narrows gave Jason a very grey shaded outlook on life that sometimes set him at odds with his new adoptive family. But if drugs were able to put food on the table for people, then that was what it was. He could look past it when everyone involved was a consenting adult.

But this? This kid was, what, ten and already selling drugs? He’d expect this of Gotham of all places, but Alaska? 

Bruce had mentioned that the state had high crime rates over breakfast the day Dick had called about possibly taking a trip together, but Jason hadn’t really taken it too seriously. Weren’t people too cold up there to mess around?

A much-older man opened the door and nodded at the kid to come in quickly before closing the door behind them, making Jason’s eyes narrow even sharper. He wasn’t exactly Robin at the moment and Jason Todd-Wayne had no business breaking and entering into people’s hotel rooms.

Maybe he should go find Dick. Hopefully, he hadn’t gone to bed with the redhead yet. But then again, what was it that Babs had called him…? Right, a dog. Always chasing the redheads.

However, before he could go find Dick or just wait in their own hotel room and think of something else, two hands grabbed onto his shoulders, startling him enough to actually jump before the offender laughed mischievously.

"Sorry I took so long. People just can’t seem to get enough of me.”

Although he would’ve normally snapped at him for that, Jason would be lying if the sight of the older vigilante didn’t send a feeling of relief through him right then. He’d know what to do.

“Hey, how do you feel about social work?”

“It’s a respectable profession. I have nothing against people who—”

“No, dickhead. For you. I’m still thinking up other career ideas for you other than going into business. Also, pretty sure we have some child drug-runners up here.”

_“What?”_

*

“Okay. All the deets. Now.”

Now that he’d managed to get what he needed to know out of the younger boy, Dick’s eyebrows furrowed to match the worried frown he wore.

So much for taking a break from his usual routine and just spending casual time with his shiny new brother.

“Alright, I have a plan.”

“Is it a good plan?” Jason interjected from where he was seated cross-legged on the edge of his bed.

“...It’s a plan.” Dick glared back, making the younger raise his hands in mock surrender. “ _I’m_ going to go look into—”

“You are so not leaving me here.”

“Actually, I think I am,” Dick spoke shortly. Though Bruce was cool working with kids, Dick had more hesitation in it despite having been one of those kids himself once upon a time.

It wasn’t even that he didn’t trust Jason’s skills either since he’d done a few patrols with him in Gotham, but they were in Alaska now and Dick was responsible for him, which is exactly what he said, earning him an angry look.

“It’s only supposed to be a recon to see if there even is a drug trafficking ring. I might’ve just been paranoid.” Jason crossed his arms as the two had a stare-down for a tense-filled moment.

“Fine.” Dick relented though he obviously wasn’t very happy about it, already heading towards the front door. “Grab your coat. Bruce’ll kill me if you freeze to death on my watch.”

Jason shook his head before jumping up to reach for the coat rack. 


End file.
